Thunder Birds: Soldiers of the Air *** (1942, Gene Tierney, Preston Foster, John Sutton, Jack Holt, Dame May Whitty, George Barbier, Richard Haydn, Reginald Denny) – Classic Movie Review 12,108

Director William A Wellman’s 1942 20th Century Fox Technicolor film Thunder Birds was made as propaganda to boost American civilian morale, and stars Gene Tierney, Preston Foster, John Sutton, Jack Holt, Dame May Whitty, George Barbier, Richard Haydn, Reginald Denny.

Thunder Birds is a well-crafted, moderately entertaining patriotic romancer set against a World War Two background, which has acquired a reputation as a minor classic aviation film.

Rancher’s daughter Kay Saunders (Gene Tierney) is at the centre of a love tussle between British novice airman Peter Stackhouse (John Sutton), being trained at an Arizona air base, and his long-serving, hardened coach Steve Britt (Preston Foster), who are both in love with her.

Flyer director Wellman makes it look Technicolorfully good in the air and on the ground in Arizona, but his sympathies are all in the skies, where the aerial scenes are thrilling, rather than with Tierney on the ground, where the going is pretty darned soggy.

The screenplay by Lamar Trotti is taken from Melville Crossman’s story about life and love on an Anglo-American training base for airmen. Melville Crossman is a pseudonym for 20th Century Fox boss Darryl F Zanuck, who planned it as a follow-up to his A Yank in the RAF.

Also in the cast are Ted North, Iris Adrian, Janis Carter, Archie Got, Lawrence Ung and C Montague Shaw.

Thunder Birds provides a look at US training activities and at promoting airpower to win the war. It features aerial photography and location filming at the US Army Air Forces Arizona training base Thunderbird Field No 1.

Wellman was a veteran of the US Air Service as a World War One fighter pilot. He agreed to direct in exchange for finance from Zanuck to film the novel The Ox-Bow Incident, which Wellman then next began immediately.

The cast are Gene Tierney as Kay Saunders, Preston Foster as Steve Britt, John Sutton as Peter Stackhouse, Jack Holt as Lt. Col Mac MacDonald, Dame May Whitty as Lady Jane Stackhouse, George Barbier as Col. Cyrus P Gramps Saunders, Richard Haydn as RAF cadet George Lockwood, Reginald Denny as Squadron Leader Barrett, Ted North as Cadet Hackzell, Janis Carter as Blonde, C Montague Shaw as Doctor, Viola Moore as Nurse, Nana Bryant as Mrs Blake, Joyce Compton as Saleswoman, Bess Flowers as Nurse, and Connie Leon as Elle.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,108

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